2004 Hyundai Review

Specifications

Will a Korean Executive Sedan Ever Roll in North America?

Hyundai is an automaker on the move. Not only is its own brand succeeding in almost all market segments, it has recently purchased Kia and is restructuring its model lineup to compliment Hyundai cars and SUVs.

This gives Hyundai an intriguing opportunity. Much like Volkswagen has been moving the VW brand upmarket with its extremely high perceived quality interiors and top-tier features in all models, plus high-end Touareg and Phaeton models, Hyundai could do likewise by making Kia the entry-level brand and its cars the more established models to gravitate to while on the upwardly mobile ladder.

While Hyundai would be smart not to emulate Volkswagen completely, it could be successful with a luxury flagship larger than the current XG. Enter the Centennial, otherwise known in its domestic market as the Equus. Will Hyundai be selling it in Europe and North America anytime soon? That remains to be seen.

It eclipses the XG 350 in overall size, measuring 201.0 inches in length, 73.6 inches in width, and 58.3 inches in height, and spans a wheelbase of 111.8 inches.

To put it into perspective, the Centennial is longer and wider than the current Infiniti Q45, Lexus LS 430 and Mercedes-Benz S-Class, while longer than the BMW 745i. Heck, its almost as long as the Audi A8 L, BMW 745iL, Mercedes-Benz S600, and Volkswagen Phaeton, the VW being longest of them all. But before VW fans get too excited, Hyundai is said to also have a long wheelbase version of the Centennial, reported to span 121.7 inches with an overall length of 212.2 inches.

But longer or not, would North American luxury buyers want a full-size Korean premium car? Thats a difficult question, albeit similar to one answered by Toyota and Nissan back in the early 90s with the advent of the Lexus LS 400 and Infiniti Q45. Japanese cars were seen in much the same light by North American consumers in the late 1980s as Korean cars are perceived now, and with Hyundai moving up the quality charts, bypassing Toyota in the most recent J. D. Power and Associates 2004 Initial Quality Survey (IQS) for one, the automakers ability to build a quality product can hardly be questioned.

But Toyota and Nissan re-branded their top-tier entrants, a move that Hyundai would be wise to follow. Developing and then marketing a new brand, however, is extremely expensive and takes time to take hold in the marketplace. It might be seen as a risky proposal for the Korean automotive giant.

Whether or not the Centennial is dubbed a Hyundai or something else when, and if it debuts in Europe and North America will remain to be seen, but either way it will no doubt be offered at a much better price point than its European and Japanese competitors. Of the current group of rivals, Infinitis Q45 is priced lowest at $75,500, while the Mercedes-Benz takes top spot for its $74,250 S-Class. Lexus sells a lot of $55,375 LS 430s while Audi doesnt sell very many $$68,500 A8 Ls in comparison. BMWs 7 starts at $69,300, also quite popular, while Volkswagen could only rid themselves of a handful or two $64,600 Phaetons last month.

If Hyundai is planning to enter the fray, it should pay close attention to rival Volkswagen - at least for a good example of what not to do in this high-end market. While the Phaeton is as good as any of these top-tier cars, and better than some, its near $65,000 entry price is way out of line for luxury buyers used to paying mid $55K for a Lexus - considered to be the most reliable entry with the best initial quality. The Infiniti has also sold poorly, despite the Q45s extremely low entry price and impressive powertrain. Most analysts believe the problem with the Q is once again styling, with luxury buyers willing to pay much more for a better looking luxury car.

While the Centennial isnt yet available in North America or Europe, its chassis architecture forms this years luxury entry from Kia, the Amanti. In case you havent had the chance to see an Amanti in real life, I had one in my garage parked next to Mercedes G500 SUV a few weeks ago and couldnt believe how long it is. It dwarfed the Mercedes by almost a foot, putting in large car territory with room to spare. Compared to the Centennial the Amanti is only 5.0 inches shorter overall and 0.8 inches narrower, while actually 50.2 inches taller. The Kias wheelbase is merely 1.6 inches shorter than the Centennial, so its easy to see that the two cars are based on the same architecture.

As an interesting side note, the originator of the architecture is Mitsubishi, which designed it for their Australian-built Diamante luxury sedan, also known as the Magnus in other markets. It was stretched into the Dignity executive sedan for local consumers, never making it out of Asia.

It would be a fair bet to assume Hyundai would at least update the styling of the Centennial if it were to come across the Pacific. The current car looks old, square and past its due date, and quite frankly wouldnt stand a chance in our competitive luxury market even if priced around the same as the current XG. After all, Chrysler has come to market with its new 300, starting at under $23K and offering more style and performance than pretty well anything in the market. The Centennial would have to feature a styling update at least as dynamic as the Equus HCD-7 Concept shown in 2002.

Hyundai offers its Centennial to Asian buyers with a 3.5-liter V6 rated at 215 horsepower and 226 lb-ft of torque in its base JS 350 guise, but while Europeans and their high-priced fuel costs might embrace such anemic output this wouldnt do in North America. Buyers here would want only the 4.5-liter direct-injection V8. Sourced from Mitsubishi, its available in the VS 450 and long wheelbase VL 450. The V8 makes 275 horsepower and 278 lb-ft of torque. A 5-speed automatic with H-Matic manual mode, basically a re-badged version of the Mitsubishi INVECS-II transmission, connects to each engine.

The only negative to this powertrain is its front-wheel drive layout, hardly a premium car configuration. Hyundai would be wise to incorporate an all-wheel drive setup before attempting to take on top competitors in North America, as front-wheel drive has many limitations, especially when mated to powerful engines.

While I havent driven the Centennial, Ive spent time in the Kia Amanti that shares its suspension. The Kia is one of the smoothest riding cars Ive ever tested, but one of the worst handling. It grounds out over dips and dives and wanders aimlessly when asked to maneuver beyond its capacity, which is just about anything beyond boulevard cruising. Still, a little tweaking might make the Centennials MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension respond to input better than it does in the Kia. Whats more, Hyundai offers active damping as optional equipment, which if optimized correctly can go a long way to flattening out curves.

Of course, despite performance available from Audi, BMW, Infiniti, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz, handling corners like a sports car isnt all thats required of a car in this luxury class. Top-tier electro-luminescent instruments and ventilated seats join safety features such as whiplash protection, xenon headlamps and intelligent airbags.

European consumers will get their first taste of the Centennial when it debuts during the Hyundai sponsored 2006FIFA World Cup in Germany. Hyundai says it will bring 30 to 40 Centennials to be used for VIP shuttles, and depending on reaction will consider exporting them to Europe and beyond.

Two years is long enough for Hyundai to debut an updated version of the Centennial, hopefully with as much high-level styling as it has interior space. Luxury carmakers had best not laugh at the prospect of a full-size Korean contender, or they might end up staring down the tailpipe of their biggest nightmare. After all, everyone thought that the premium Toyota was going to flop before it debuted as a Lexus, and now its number one.